Authors note: This is just the prologue to a novel I'm writing. Please review and tell me what you think! *nervous* ^-^ It's really nothing special... Umm, it's accually a romance/thriller/fantasy, but you'll probably think it's a horror from this chapter... XD Injoy!

Broken Wings and Lost Souls

Written by M.S.

Prologue
The Awakening

I knew very few things at the moment, which was a lot, considering I knew nothing.

The first was that this wasn’t normal. It didn’t feel normal, not in the slightest sense. The air around me was warm, unnaturally so. Not hot, like the feel of the sun beating down on my skin, or the musky steam from a sauna, but warm like love. I could feel it pulsating within me with every breath I took. It throbbed through my veins, calming my pulse, like a powerful drug, keeping me calm at bay. I automatically felt like I did not belong in the presence of such warmth. I was lying on something soft, on my back, my face leaning to the side. My entire body felt completely numb, and it felt good. I let out a soft sigh, burying my head deep into what felt like the softest cloud there ever was. I don’t think I'd ever felt this content before, ever so at peace. As I lay there, lounging and relaxing in the tranquil atmosphere, I tried to recall how I got here. Where was I from, what was going on, what was my name, even? Nothing. I wanted to feel uneasy about that fact, I should have, but… I couldn’t. No, this certainly wasn’t normal.

The second was that I was not alone. Whispers drifted down to my ears. I faintly heard my name being called in the near-distance. “Eva. Wake up, Eva.” Eva? Who’s Eva? I tensed up at the sound of the voice, its tone musical, like the world’s most astounding instrument, an instrument that couldn’t have possibly existed. I tried to open my eyes to see my invisible companion, but when I did, I felt a great pressure build up in my head, like someone was pushing me down. It sent a dizzy, drowsy feeling throughout my entire body. I continued to try though, pushing myself against the unseen wall, forcing my eyes to open. “Oh…” I moaned, already beginning to tire from the effort. Truthfully, I didn’t want to awaken. It felt as though when I did, it would only bring about bad things - nightmares I did not wish to unravel. Whereas while I was in this dizzy trance-like state, it seemed as though I could remain peaceful and safe forever. Stuck in my own perfect dream. “Eva.” But dreams only last for so long, and it was time to wake up.

“I… I can’t….move.” I forced out through closed lips. The sound of my voice was unfamiliar and peculiar, and it made me wonder if I was really the one talking. The voice – the seemingly male voice that had welcomed me earlier - grew louder, clearer, as I began to convalesce. “It’s Ok, Eva. You’re safe now. Just take your time. You’ll adjust to The Gateways’ gravitational field soon.”
It shocked me. Now that I was nearing consciousness, I could clearly hear the calm male voice, its tone happy and relaxed. It was strong, husky and clear, yet soft like velvet silk. It was young, belonging to a boy in his late teens, maybe early twenties—but it held some ancient knowledge behind it that no man or woman could possibly hold, at any given age. It sounded like it belonged to a seraph. I – now with some of my strength returned to me – tried to lift my head and open my eyes. I kept pushing against the unseen force. I probably should have taken my time, like he’d said, but I was impatient to see just who’s voice this belonged to. I could feel the barrier breaking. Just a little more, and—“Ahh!” My head flung forward, my neck making an awful snapping sound as it bent at an impossible angle, sending pain shooting through my spine like fire. “It’s ok, Eva, this’ll only take a second.” I barely heard the voice through the pain. I raised a hand to it, feeling the sores and cuts all around. How had this happened?! Before I could ask, another pair of hands pulled mine away and replaced them with there own.
The third thing I knew, or was about to know, was that I had been murdered. As the hands pressed gently on the base of my neck, the pain eased. But it brought about a new pain. A gasp fluttered from my lips as I suddenly remembered something…. The unseen nightmare I had feared earlier, the one that had lurked in the shadows, waiting to be revealed. But this was no nightmare I was remembering. No, it was all too real. I remembered… the terror, the awful pain and panic that had fueled the adrenaline in my veins as blood pumped furiously through me. Yes, it was coming back now. My limbs were flailing, back and forth, struggling for escape, although they were too tired and broken to do much. My knee-cap hurt where it had been smashed, and my ankle was undoubtedly broken. I think my elbow had been dislocated when I fell, and my shoulder wasn’t exactly moving right. Still, panic flung through me and I tried harder. Something, no, someone, was on top of me. Though it was hard to consider him a person now. Something probably fit him better. He was strong, one hand snapping forward to hold my arms down tightly by my wrist, above my head, and the other roughly gripping my throat. His legs straddled my own, pinning me down completely. He toward over me like I was a pitiful mouse, about to be squashed. Had he always been this big? Had he always looked this dangerous?
I tried to make out a face, but I was only greeted by pitch black night. I was thankful for this. His face would only make this worse. I never wanted to see that face again. The face of someone I had blindly trusted, like the idiot I was. My mind reeled at a hundred miles per hour, racing to get to the finish line. Why was this happening?! What could I possibly have done to disserve this?! Maybe, had I realized what was happening sooner, I could have avoided all this. Yes, this was all my fault! How could I have mistaken his crazed obsession for mere admiration?! How could I possibly think that he loved me?! Why had I let him inside my private little world, which I had protected so relentlessly until now? That’s why it’s idiotic to trust people. They always stab you in the back in the end.
Just as I thought I was about to go unconscious, the hand that remained around my neck released itself for a few glorious seconds, and I gasped in as much air as I could before it was back to its original iron grip. “I don’t understand…. Why are y-… Hel..p!” I cried, fruitlessly. But his hand was back, and I was out of breath all over again. I opened my mouth in a futile attempt to let out more screams, my voice strained and broken. No one would hear me, no one would find me. Everyone was long gone by now. It was hopeless. His hands were so large and tight on my neck, he could snap me in two any second now. Why was he taking so long? I frantically looked at the dark shadow in front of me. It appeared to be shaking. Was he crying? I didn’t get the chance to think on it too long, my vision getting blurrier with each passing second. I must have been hallucinating. I wasn’t going to last much longer. Any second now…Any sec—“AHHHHH!” My broken and distorted screech broke out through the night air, as I felt something sharp and cold come down on my head. Immediately pain got in the way of any intelligible thought in my mind. Steaming tears streamed down my face, as did hot, wet blood, seeping from yet another wound. God, it hurt. Just like every other part of my aching body. I could barely think at this point, but something managed to catch my attention out of the corner of my eye. He was shaking harder now. He… He was crying! It was silent at first, as he shook, in the dark. Why was he crying? He wasn’t loosening his grip, or acting remorseful in any sense. My head was throbbing, tears flowing freely as I watched in shock as my attacker wept alongside me. I didn’t get it, until the sobs were no longer silent, growing louder with each passing second. It took a moment for me to realize… he was laughing. The sound reverberated through his chest with each senseless, hysterical cackle. How could he laugh, as if he were enjoying this? As if he enjoyed tormenting me.

As if to prove my point, his hand suddenly released from my throat again. I lapped up the air as fast as I could, gasping in and out in great heaves while possible. It didn’t make any sense. Why did he keep letting me breath? Why couldn’t I just die? Why would h—….Oh. He was prolonging this. He wanted to break me into millions of little pieces, as little as they could possible get, and then burn them to ash, before he finished me off. He never wanted the torture to end. Keeping me alive as long as he could so he could fully enjoy murdering me. How could anyone be so cruel? “Just kill me already.” I managed to whisper. I knew my mercy request would not be granted so easily, but I still prayed for it, prayed it would all be over soon. He let go of my wrists, finally, but his grip tightened on my neck. I tried to push him away, but my hands just slumped across his chest. I felt something warm and dry scratch roughly down my left arm with long, unkempt fingernails digging into my skin, until they momentarily stopped at my wrist. I heard the cracking sound before I felt it.

"No-!!"I shakily raised my left hand to my face. In the darkness, I could faintly see my pinky finger jutting out to the side, bone visible through muscle and blood. My broken screeches rang out through the night, echoing off the forest in every direction. I knew he enjoyed my screams, my cries of desperation, but I didn’t care anymore. I let myself screech until my voice ran hoarse. My limbs went limp, as my heart and soul finally gave up. It didn’t matter. I knew I would die tonight, but I wasn’t afraid, not of that. Anything was better than this. I shuddered as he whispered a somewhat familiar tune softly into my ear, pulling my hair back with his rough, dry hands;

“He will take you. If you run, He will chase you.
He will take you. If you run,
He will chase you…”
My eyes flung open as I grasped at my throat, screaming in horror.